Pivoted fluke anchor



Feb. 7, 1956 J. M. CHILD'S pxvomn- FLUKE ANCHOR Filed Nov. so; 1953 INVENTOR Jofin M. C101 (([5' United States Patent 2,733,678 PIVOTEDFLUKE ANCHOR John' M. Childs, lDade City, Fla. Application November 30, 1953 Serial No. 395,143 s clsim's; to]. 114-203 The present invention relates to a new and improved fluke for anchors.

An important object .is to provide a simple, efficient, compact and economical ;fluke anchor including a supporting member, to which the fluke is pivotally connected, said fluke havinga .Ifil' SfiCllQllflIld a sepa'rate front section pivotally connected to the rear section so that the front section constitutes the leading or forward edge of the fluke.

Other objectsand advantages of the invention will become apparent from ,the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying claims and drawing.

Referring to the drawing in which are shown several preferred embodiments'the invention may assume,

Figure 1 is a detailed perspective view of a fluke anchor constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a detailedsectional view of a modified form of the fluke anchor;

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view -,of another modification; and

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a further modified form of the fluke having front and rear hinged portions.

Referring to the drawing, designates a metal supporting frame, which as shown, includes side bars or pieces 11 which converge forwardly so as to be connected at their front ends in any suitable manner such as by the ring, shackle or swivel 12, to which may be suitably connected a flexible member such as a chain or rope 13. The spaced rear ends of the side bars or shanks 11 are connected by a transverse rod 14, the ends of which extend beyond the sides of the fluke or blade 16 and through aligned openings 15 in the bars 11, thus providing means for preventing the frame 10 from spreading and the release of the fluke 16. Thus it will be seen that the frame 10 when assembled assumes a substantially triangular shape (Figure 1).

The metal fluke or blade 16 is preferably of triangular shape so as to be of the same configuration as the supporting member 10. The fluke 16 includes a rear section 17 which may be provided at its rear end with a loop portion 18 for loosely receiving the rod 14 so as to pivotally connect the section 17 to the frame. The forward section 18 of the fluke preferably terminates in a pointed end portion 19 and is pivotally connected as at 20 to the rear section 17 so as to constitute the leading or forward edge of the fluke when the parts are assembled. The swinging movement of the rear section 17 of the fluke relative to the frame 10 may be limited by the spaced pair of arms or lugs 21 which extend inwardly from each of the side pieces 11. Each pair of lugs 21 is so arranged that one is positioned above and the other below the rear section 17 in order to constitute a stop for limiting the upward and downward movement of the fluke relative to the frame. Similarly to each of the front side edges of the rear section 17 may be secured in any suitable manner, stop members 22. Each of the stop members ice 2 has a channel portion .23 shown secured to the rear section 17 and a flared front portion '24 provided with diverging stop flanges25 which overlap the adjacent sides of the front section 18 of the 'fluke so as to limit the swingingrnovementof the latter about its pivot 20.

Thus, it will beiseenby forming the fluke with the pivotally connecting front and rear sections such as 17 and 18, that when'the anchor is in use, the front section will-initially enter or dig into the ground by reason of its downward inclination relative to the rear section 17, so that subsequently .thei'rea'rsection 17 will be also embedded in the ground. In other words, when in operation, the anchor lieson themar'ine bottom or ground and by reason of 'its connection with the vessel or boat, a strain is imposed on thelsupporting member 10 which in turn is transferred to the fluke 16 so as to cause the leading or forward edge section 18 thereof to be'embedded in the ground and establish a firm hold so as to prevent the anchor from draggingwhen the wind or current causes the boat to swing ormove about the anchor. The stops 21 limit the swinging movement of the fluke 16 about the frame 10 to an angle less than Similarly, the stops 22 tend to restrict ,the swinging movement of the front section 19 to an .angle' less than 180. By reason of the sectional arrangement of the fluke and the normal inclination of the from section relative to the rear .sec-

tion, means are p'rovided for insuring the fluke or blade 16 being fully embedded in the ground when the anchor is in operation, and at the same time allows the anchor to be readily dislodged or released when it is moved in an opposite direction. The rear section 17 is connected to the frame 10 so as to extend at an acute angle there from. The front section 18 is similarly connected to the rear .section17 andis p'ivotedthereto at a greater acute angle, so as to' coact withthe stop means for the purpose of providing an additional digging angle for said front section. The sections 17 and 18 are of substantial area and the front section is of less area than the rear section.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 2, the fluke 26 may be substantially similar in construction to the fluke previously described, and has a rear section to which is pivotally connected a front section 28 as at 29. The front section instead of being formed of a single blade is preferably constructed of a plurality of such blades or teeth 30 so as to provide additional penetrating means for digging into the ground in order to maintain the anchor releasably in a fixed position. The swinging movement of the front section 28 relative to the rear section 27 may be limited by stop means 31 substantially similar to the stop means 22 previously described.

In a modified form of the invention shown in Figure 3, the rear section 32 of the fluke 33 is pivotally connected to the front section 34 as at 35. To the upper and lower sides of the rear section 32 may be connected transversely spaced pairs of plates or stop members 36 having outwardly extending arms 37 that overlap and are normally spaced from the front section 34 so as to limit the swinging movement of the latter about its pivot 35.

In the modification disclosed in Figure 4, the supporting member 38 may be similar in construction to the supporting member 10 previously described, and is connected at its forward end by a ring 39 to a rope or cable 40. A transverse rod 41 is pivotally connected to the rear of the frame 38 and is secured or fixed to the rear section 42 of the fluke or blade 43 so that rotation of the rod 41 imparts a swinging movement to the section 42. The front section 44 of the fluke is pivotally connected as at 45 to the rear section 42. Stop members 46 are secured to opposite sides of the front section 44, and have diverging flanges 47 which overlap the rear section 42 so as to constitute means for limiting the swinging movement of the front section relative to the rear section when the parts are assembled. A curved member 48 is welded as at 49 to the rear of the frame 38 adjacent the rod 41 and has an interrupted or open portion 50 through which extends the fluke 43. The spaced ends 51 of the member 48 constitute stop means witlrwhich the rear section 42 of the fluke engage or abut so as to limit the swinging movement thereof.

Thus, it will be seen that an anchor fluke is provided having pivoted sections in which the front section constitutes a leading or forward edge that normally is inclined downwardly relative to the rear sectionso .as to facilitate the digging of the fluke into the ground. Additionally, suitable means are provided for limiting the swinging movement of the rear section of the fluke relative to the supporting frame and also means for limiting the movement of the front section relative to the rear section.

It will be understood that the forms of the invention are merely illustrative of preferred embodiments and that such changes may be made as come within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An anchor of the class described including a substantially triangular-shaped frame having converging sides connected at the forward ends, the spaced rear ends of said sides being connected by a transverse rod so as to prevent the frame from spreading, a substantially triangular-shaped fluke having a rear section and a separate front section, means pivotally connecting the rear section to the said rod, means pivotally connecting the front section to the rear section, said front section constituting the leading or forward edge of the fluke, and stop means for limiting the pivotal movement of the front section relative to the rear section, said stop means including substantially Y-shaped members connected to opposite sides of the rear section adjacent the front section, each of said members having inclined flanges diverging outwardly from the rear section and overlapping the ad- 4 s e jacent edge of the front section so as to abut the same when the front section is swung about its pivot.

2. An anchor of the class described including a supporting frame, a generally flat fluke having a rear section and a front section pivotally connected to the rear section and extending outwardly from one end thereof, said sections being of substantial area and the front section of less area than the rear section, said front section constituting the leading or forward edge of the fluke, and stop means on one of said sections for limiting the pivotal movement of the front section relative to the rear section, said stop means including vertically spaced members positioned on opposite sides of the fluke and extending into the path of movement of one of the sections, said front section and said stop means thereby coacting to provide an additional digging angle for said front section.

3. An anchor of the class described including a supporting frame, a generally flat fluke having a rear section and a front section pivotally connected to the rear section and extending outwardly from one end thereof, said sections being of substantial area and the front section of less area than the rear section, said front section constituting the leading or forward edge of the fluke, and stop means for limiting the pivotal movement of the front section relative to the rear section, said stop means including a substantially channel-shaped member fixed to the forward end of the rear section and having vertically spaced inclined flanges disposed on opposite sides of the fluke and arranged alternately to be engaged by the front section when the latter is swung about its pivot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 102,583 Pattison May 3, 1870 2,130,120 Duer Sept. 13, 1938 2,267,657 Korvin-Kroukovsy Dec. 23, 1941 2,591,236 Christie Apr. 1, 1952 

